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title: Watch Philadelphia&#x27;s Mayor Cover &quot;Rapper&#x27;s Delight&quot; with The Roots
description: Mic drop.
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# Watch Philadelphia's Mayor Cover 'Rapper's Delight' with The Roots

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by 

[Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/)


## Melissa Locker


Jul 6, 2015 4:32 PM UTC

by 

[Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/)


## Melissa Locker


Jul 6, 2015 4:32 PM UTC

There’s one thing every politician should know if they want to succeed in the rough-and-tumble world of Philadelphia politics — all the words to “Rapper’s Delight.” That’s the takeaway from a new video where Philly mayor Michael Nutter jumped on stage with local boys-turned-_The Tonight Show_ house band The Roots to perform the Sugarhill Gang’s classic rap song.

The mayor didn’t miss a beat as he spit out the rhymes on stage at the 4th of July celebration at the Wawa Welcome America! festival. He walked the stage like a pro, throwing down verses, and even dropped the mic at the end after nailing the performance. There’s no doubt that the mayor’s performance was way better than the time then-NBC anchor Brian Williams [“rapped”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CYJ73pVpVc) the Sugarhill Gang’s classic. As [_Uproxx_ points out](http://uproxx.com/smokingsection/2015/07/philly-mayor-michael-nutter-roots-picnic-rappers-delight-performance/), there’s a reason that Nutter is so good at this: before he started a career in business and politics, he [worked in the city’s nightclubs](http://jumpphilly.com/2011/06/03/mayor-michael-nutter-i-could-make-a-party-happen/) and had performed the song before.

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